The Mouse Castle Lounge Podcast: Disney News and Interviews, Cocktails and Conversations

Walk the red carpet at the Oscars as Tim and a few friends preview this year's Academy Award nominations. Disney is well represented with three films nominated for Best Animated Feature and "Paperman" vying for Best Animated Short Film. www.TheMouseCastle.com

A rare look inside the Disney Animation Research Library, home of 64 million pieces of animation art from nearly 90 years of Disney animation history. Tim Callaway sits down with the ARL's research manager Fox Carney and talks about the many treasures of the ARL and the challenge of cataloging and preserving their immense collection of artwork.

We aim for some highbrow culture in this edition of The Mouse Castle Lounge, but end up reviewing Philip Glass' opera about Walt Disney instead. "The Perfect American" is yet another exercise in perpetuating the worst urban legends that exist about Walt. It's viewable online if you feel like trashing two hours of your life. Also, Tim Callaway previews two new books written by people who actually know what they're talking about, takes a trip to "Monsters University" and revisits Disneyland's 25th anniversary where he finds soy sauce. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Tim Callaway takes The Mouse Castle Lounge on the road and goes bar hopping at the Disneyland Resort. Meet some of Tim's awesome friends as we decide once and for all which drinking establishments are the best. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Video bloggers and independent filmmakers are causing a stir at Disney these days and Tim Callaway talks about it all inside The Mouse Castle Lounge. See why "Escape From Tomorrow" is the most daring film to come out of the Sundance Film Festival and why Disney attorneys are probably pissed off about it. Also, join Tim during the summer of 1974 and the grand opening of America Sings at Disneyland and pay a visit to the blog of animation director and screenwriter Brenda Chapman. www.TheMouseCastle.com

This week in The Mouse Castle Lounge, Tim Callaway takes a look at how Disney and Pixar scored in this year's Oscar nominations. He'll also review "Frankenweenie," now available on home video, and unlock the Disney News Archive from Spring 1996. www.TheMouseCastle.com.

Rolly Crump spent decades with Disney as an animator, Imagineer, artist and designer. Examples of his work can be found in Disneyland attractions such as The Enchanted Tiki Room, It's a Small World and the Haunted Mansion, among many others. He co-wrote his new memoir, It's Kind of a Cute Story, with Jeff Heimbuch, telling colorful tales about how a talented kid with no formal artistic training made good working for Walt Disney. The Mouse Castle's Tim Callaway interviews Jeff, who talks about his experiences meeting and working with Rolly. WARNING: This episode of The Mouse Castle Lounge contains profanity--and we're sure Rolly will approve.

With December being the month of Walt Disney's birth and death, Tim Callaway wraps up his three-part conversation with historian Jeff Kurtti by talking about Walt Disney's impact on society and culture. www.TheMouseCastle.com

The Mouse Castle Lounge, your unofficial Disney happy hour, visits the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco to preview the museum's new exhibition celebrating 75 years of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Tim Callaway interviews museum co-founder Diane Disney Miller, CEO Gabriella Calicchio, exhibition curator and Walt Disney Animation Research Library creative director Lella Smith and film historian and author J.B. Kaufman.

The Mouse Castle Lounge, your unofficial Disney happy hour, takes a look at the Disney/Lucasfilm deal, reviews "Wreck-It Ralph" from Walt Disney Animation and presents part two of our conversation with Disney historian, author and film maker Jeff Kurtti.